James Jones III, a 26-year-old lifelong resident of Port Arthur, Texas and a 2008 graduate of Memorial High School, was fatally shot and found slumped over the steering wheel of a vehicle at 6030 Alpine Circle in Beaumont on January 17, 2017. Bits of potato were found in his hair and in the vehicle; potatoes are sometimes used as a homemade silencer. He was known as Champ Joe and was a member of First Christian Faith. He is survived by his parents, James W Jones II and Rosemary Jones, and several siblings.

Frederick King, who was also shot and found nearby, identified Damarcus Deshun McGhee as the shooter. McGhee, then 21, later admitted to shooting both King and Jones, was arrested and charged in Jones’s murder. On January 3, 2018, McGhee pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 40 years for murder and an additional 20 years for aggravated assault in the shooting of Frederick King. The Beaumont Police Department investigated the case and it was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Mike Laird.

Does anyone have memories of James, known as Champ Joe, or information about the events that night?